Four toll plaza attendants thrashed in Ghaziabad

Ghaziabad, Sep 24 (IANS) Barely a day after a toll plaza attendant was shot dead in Gurgaon, five armed men in a mini-truck refused to pay toll fee of Rs.150 at a toll collection centre here and thrashed four attendants, police said Saturday. The men also escaped with around Rs.40,000 in cash.

The incident occurred on National Highway-24 in Dasna Friday night.

According to the toll-in-charge N.D. Shukla, the five men came in a DCM Toyota mini-truck around 9.50 p.m. and tried to pass without paying the toll.

“When our guards did not allow the truck to pass, the five men, armed with firearms and iron rods, barged into the cabin, snatched the cash collected, and thrashed the four attendants present,” he said.

When the guards noticed the ruckus, they opened fire, after which the five retaliated, and managed to escape.

However, no one was injured in the firing, a police officer said.

“The four injured attendants were taken to a hospital,” he added.

Shukla alleged that the men belonged to an influential community, and the police were not acting against them due to local pressure.

A 22-year-old, newly married attendant at a toll plaza in Gurgaon was shot dead just after Thursday midnight by a man who refused to pay a fee of Rs.27.